How Are You Celebrating the 250th?
June 03rd, 2026 by G.
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There seems to be little buzz about the 250th, and most of what I hear of on the national level seems fractured and lame.
I have no specific plans yet but I’m looking to do something at least a little out of the ordinary.
What are you seeing out there? What are you thinking of doing?
John Mansfield
June 3, 2026
Sail 250
On the Fourth of July 70 tall sailing ships from 60 nations will parade up the Hudson past New York City. Some of that flotilla was in New Orleans last week. I plan to be in Norfolk Friday morning, June 19th for the parade of sail there. Maybe I will also go see them come into Baltimore. After New York, it ends in Boston. Four of them all make a race of that last leg. In each port, the ships will be open to visitors for a few days.
http://www.sail250.org
John Mansfield
June 3, 2026
Great American State Fair
“Great American State Fair is a 16-day national exposition running from June 25 through July 10, 2026, spanning from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. The celebration will unite and showcase all 56 U.S. states and territories in a single World’s Fair-scale event.”
John Mansfield
June 3, 2026
I will go to Washington DC for fireworks on the Fourth.
Washington Post:
“The company in charge of the fireworks on the National Mall for this year’s Fourth of July celebration says it will launch more than 860,000 shells in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for largest fireworks display.
“That number dwarfs previous Fourth of July firework shows in Washington, where typically 17,000 to 20,000 shells are launched.
[ . . . ]
“This year’s show is expected to last approximately 40 minutes
[ . . . ]
“More than 50 trucks will transport this year’s fireworks to Washington and a crew of about 60 workers will manage the performance, according to the Pyrotecnico statement. Fireworks will launch from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, West Potomac Park and eight barges on the Potomac River.”
John Mansfield
June 3, 2026
Fifty years ago I spent the Bicentennial Fourth of July in the Moapa Valley where my mother and grandmother were born and watched fireworks on the high school football field. The census count for Moapa Valley was 1,111 in 1980. It was a good day.
E. C.
June 3, 2026
I plan to read through the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and also work through some more of Hillsdale College’s free history courses about the Constitution and the Founders in preparation.
My family situation currently makes it difficult to attend large gatherings, so I don’t know that we’ll be up for parades . . .